Andrew Bailey?

It’s the time of year when rumors start from a short Twitter post and take off. This morning, Buster Olney of ESPN noted with a Tweet the following:

“Reds are talking about possible Andrew Bailey deal.”

There is no mention of where this information is coming from.

Former Reds GM and current baseball analyst for SiriusXM and ESPN, Jim Bowden, tweeted his info from an A’s source:

“A’s source confirms their interest in Alonso.”

Of course, that is Reds 1B/LF Yonder Alonso, who is viewed as the club’s top trading chip or part of the long term future depending on who you ask. I would have no doubt that the A’s (or any club) might have interest in getting Alonso.

My view: This is not a match. Giving up Alonso for Bailey is way too much. A Reds source I checked with about this proposal agreed.

The Reds have other more pressing needs than for a closer at the moment, namely a starting pitcher. There are a lot of closers available on the open market that might be had for cheap and the door is certainly not closed on Francisco Cordero returning. Bailey is a two-time All-Star and former AL Rookie of the Year but injuries got in the way in late 2010 and early 2011.

But if you want more info on Bailey (no relation to Homer Bailey), click here.

As for Alonso, unless the Reds are blown away with a great proposal, I would hang on to him for 2012 if I were the GM (which I am obviously not). Let’s see if he can make it as a left fielder following a full off-season of training and preparation. His bat could be very valuable next season and until the Reds know the long term prospects for keeping 1B Joey Votto (not good at this point), Alonso is the best insurance in house to take over at first base.

And one more thing on the rumors. It takes so little for them to take on lives of their own in the age of Twitter and blogs that aggregate trade rumors. Just because a reporter (reputable ones or otherwise) posts something, it doesn’t mean it’s happening. It doesn’t mean the deal was even discussed. And even if it was discussed, it could have been kicked around for three minutes in a staff meeting, got passed on and never even brought up to the other club. And if it was proposed to the other club, they could have simply said ‘no’ and hung up the phone. Or the info could have been from a scout outside the loop that was simply saying what his team should go after or give up.

The point is, don’t go nuts about every rumor you read about. I’ve come to learn about 95 percent of them never actually result in the deal. Not saying this one will or won’t happen, but there is just a lot more to learn beyond that the Reds are talking about a possible deal for a player.

I am a Mariner’s fan and as most people know our offense is abysmal. And we have an excellent young SP named Michael Pineda that you might want. He projects as a possible #2, I think. We need some young position players who can hit the ball out of the park. Do you think that would be a good trade for one of your hot prospects? One of your catchers?

Your nuts SMF! Mariners will not trade Pineda for a top catching prospect.We’ve seen what Pineda can do now , and where he’ll be in a year or two. Hes a big guy similar to CC , with future ace potential. I think hes worth atleast Yonder Alonso.
Allstar pitching Michael Pineda and Allstar Closer League for Grandal, Yonder Alonso and were talking. Mariners would get a great young power hitter, and a catcher for the future.

Archives

Meta

The following are trademarks or service marks of Major League Baseball entities and may be used only with permission of Major League Baseball Properties, Inc. or the relevant Major League Baseball entity: Major League, Major League Baseball, MLB, the silhouetted batter logo, World Series, National League, American League, Division Series, League Championship Series, All-Star Game, and the names, nicknames, logos, uniform designs, color combinations, and slogans designating the Major League Baseball clubs and entities, and their respective mascots, events and exhibitions.